Wallpaper has made a strong comeback in interior design in New England lately. However, the process of removing  wallpaper can be messy and tricky.

Removing Wallpaper: Start with Preparation

Here are some useful tools the professionals we send to your home use:

• Scraper
  Scoring Tool
• Steamer (you also may be able to rent a steamer at a place like Lowes or Home Depot)
  Adhesive Remover
• Joint compound to skim coat the walls (professionals also sometimes use plaster).
• TSP (trisodium phosphate) to clean the walls after the wallpaper is removed.

Determine what the wallpaper is made of. 
The first step is to determine if the wallpaper is traditional paper, vinyl, or fabric. Knowing the type helps you choose the proper removal technique. Some wallpapers peel off easily, while others require (much) more effort.  For example:

Fabric wallpaper is typically made from a textile material that has adhesive backing.  Most times, it’s removed by peeling the fabric layer off and then using a sponge and scraper to gently nudge it off the wall.

Paper wallpaper is thinner and tears easily.  Most times, you’ll be able to score the wallpaper, dampen it with water or adhesive remover, and gently scrape it away.

Vinyl wallpaper is water resistant.  Most times you’ll be able to remove it by peeling the vinyl layer.  If the vinyl is hard to peel, use a scoring tool.  Then wet the wallpaper along the score lines to loosen the adhesive and gently scrape it.  If it’s not budging a steamer might be needed.

Old wallpaper is often stubborn and might need to be steamed off.  Steamers also work for multiple layers of wallpaper found in old homes.

Test for Adhesion
Test a small section to see how easily the wallpaper comes off. If the wallpaper resists, additional tools such as steamers or chemical solutions, may be required (see above).

Protect the floors
Use drop cloths and painter’s tape to protect floors, furniture, and baseboards. If the project will last several days (and it might if you are taking your time), tape rosin paper to the floor so you can leave it in place and work on removing the wallpaper at your own pace.

Clean the Walls:  After the wallpaper is removed, the walls need to be cleaned with TSP (trisodium phosphate) to remove any leftover adhesive and dirt.

Skim Coat the Walls: If the wallpaper removal has caused gouges in the walls, you or the professional may need to apply a skim coat to smooth the surface prior to painting or installing new wallpaper.

If hiring a professional, the cost of wallpaper removal can be difficult to estimate because the type of adhesive used to apply the wallpaper is often unknown. In some cases, removal is quicker than anticipated, but more often, it requires extra effort to remove stubborn wallpaper thoroughly. To address this, our estimators provide an initial quote with the understanding that additional time and costs may be necessary if the wallpaper proves more challenging than average to remove.

Interested in a quote to either remove wallpaper or install wallpaper (or both!)? Click here to schedule a free estimate.